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02 Jun 2019 - Podcast #645 - (22:17)
It's Like NPR on the Web
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With some exceptions, tech support stinks. I've recently had surprisingly good results when dealing with internet service provider Wide Open West and with Skylum, the company that's responsible for photo management application Luminar 3. In most cases, though, it seems that it's better to analyze and resolve problems on my own whenever possible.
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"But you're a tech guy," you'll say. That's true, but I'm more a words and pictures guy than a hardware and software guy. I can write relatively basic website applications in PHP, but I'm no programmer. My primary advantage, when it comes to figuring out what has gone wrong on the computer and putting it right is that I'm nosy. Oh, and I also have reasonably good Google skills.
A long time ago (August of 2009 to be more or less precise) Randall Munroe, who created the xkcd cartoon site, drew the ultimate tech support cheat sheet. It's probably safe to say that at least 77.67%* of all people who work or have worked in tech support have, or at some time in their careers, have had this cartoon posted on the wall of their work area. It is, as I said, the ultimate tech support cheat sheet. If you follow the instructions here there is at least a 77.67% chance that you will solve whatever technical problem you have with any particular program.
*77.67% of statistics are made up on the spot
The xkcd site's name is a point of contention, but it seems to fit with Munroe's description: "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." I note that he uses the Oxford comma (or the Harvard comma) when writing a series of terms and that makes me happy. Xkcd is not an initialism, Munroe says, but "just a word with no phonetic pronunciation." In other words, it's pronounced ex-kay-see-dee.
Munroe's flow chart is accurate. When I don't know how to perform a task with a program, I start by looking through the menu structure. Choosing an option that seems like a reasonable choice often solves the problem. If I've looked through the entire menu structure, including the sub menus and the sub-sub menus and the sub-sub-sub menus without success, it's time to use a little Google-fu.
This is the place where too many people get stuck. They try to think like Google and type needlessly complex terms into the search box. Don't try to impress Google. Just type a few words that describe what you want to do. I don't often use Photoshop to process multiple files, so I can never remember how to do it. When I searched for batch convert files photoshop, the problem was solved. Elapsed time: About 20 seconds.
In the 1990s Wordperfect offered unlimited free support forever. When users called, they would speak with technicians in Orem, Utah. Callers might have to wait, but Wordperfect had more than music on hold. A live disk jockey told callers how long they should expect to wait. That was unusual then and unheard of now because the bean counters have determined that every second a user spends on hold or with a technician reduces the CEO's ability to buy a second yacht or vacation home. Because companies want to reduce tech support costs, most tech support is provided by technicians in India. Harish may tell you his name is Harry, Sai may say that he's Sam, and Anaya may claim to be Ann. Some of these technicians may know what they're talking about, but others do not.
The first person you'll talk to will be what's generally referred to as a "level 1 tech". The old joke says that this is someone who is guaranteed to be breathing and able to read a checklist, but that's a disservice to the people who have these jobs. In fact, many of them are as knowledgeable as more experienced technicians, but company policy won't allow them to deviate from the script. You'll be asked to confirm basic information. What I've found is that the level 1 tech will ask me to perform actions that I've already done. When I do have to call tech support, I try to short-circuit the process by explaining the steps I've already taken. Ideally the technician will realize that the issue I'm calling about is beyond his or her level of expertise and pass me on to a level 2 tech.
Level 2 technicians are usually able to go well beyond the script. They have a good understanding of how an application works, they have access to knowledgebase data, and they often can resolve the problem. No small number of software companies refer to me as the "edge condition guy". An edge condition is rare and occurs only when several uncommon events happen simultaneously. I seem to be reasonably adept at finding these situations. At this point, the level 2 technician passes the baton to a level 3 technician or a developer. But most issues never need to go that far.
Let's take a look at some common issues and see how to resolve them. Here are some things to consider when your computer starts acting wonky.
Be prepared. For hardware, make sure you have the model name and number, the serial number, and the purchase date. If you're calling about software, you should have the name of the application, the version number, and the purchase date. In either case, be prepared to provide the operating system name and version number.
If the hardware or software displayed an error message, take notes so that you will be able to give the technician the exact text that was displayed. The technician may be familiar with the error message. If not, the message may at least be referenced in a searchable database the technician has access to.
When you have all of the information ready, prepare to wait, possibly for a long time. The longest waits are Monday morning and Friday afternoon. Weekends are usually not good choices, either. And don't even think about calling on the day after Christmas.
A considerable amount of tech support is provided by offshore technicians, often people in India, so you may have trouble understanding the technician. If communication is too difficult, ask to have the call transferred to a supervisor or escalated to level-two support. In other words, don't end the call and then try again in hopes of getting someone who's easier to understand.
Most companies prefer that customers use chat functions that have been added to the support section of their website and this is generally the best option for those who need support. Offshore technicians who may have trouble speaking understandable English almost always type clear English sentences. So before you pick up the phone, see if the company you need to contact has a chat option.
Microsoft finally started pushing out the March 2019 feature update on 21 May, but you may not have received it yet. Options exist if you don't want to wait and there's one significant gotcha that will affect anyone who has a USB drive or an SD memory card mounted as a drive.
If you want to manually install version 1903, dismount and physically disconnect any such drives before proceeding. This will eliminate a long waste of time. Here's why:
My Microsoft Surface Pro has a secure digital memory card mounted as drive D. When the update option didn't appear as expected, I downloaded the Update Assistant. Everything proceeded normally for more than half an hour and then the installer displayed a message that said the hardware didn't support the new version of Windows.
Wait. Windows is a Microsoft operating system. The Surface Pro is a Microsoft product and I have the most recent model. So how could this be? The explanatory link took me to a page that explained: "If you have an external USB device, SD memory card or UFS card attached when installing Windows 10, version 1903, you may get an error message stating 'This PC can't be upgraded to Windows 10.' This is caused by inappropriate drive reassignment during installation."
OK, so I've seen that problem before. It's an annoyance, but fixing the problem is a simple matter of using the Disk Manager to reassign the drives. It's good that Microsoft allows users to avoid the problem, but it seems to me that the warning happens at the wrong time.
At the beginning of the update process, the installer checks hardware, memory, and disk space. It reported everything "OK" for the Surface Pro and then threw the error message only after it has been working for more than 30 minutes. Then it had to roll back the changes before it could display the error message. That first hardware test should see attached USB and SD devices, stop the process there, and explain the issue.
So when I wanted to update the primary computer, which has 4 attached USB drives, I shut the computer down, turned off the external drives so that they wouldn't be mounted at boot time, and then restarted the computer. The Update Assistant performed properly (but slowly) and the update was complete in a little less than two hours.
After shutting the computer down, I powered up the external drives and restarted the computer. Everything was where it should be. For now, Microsoft says that it has applied a hold on devices with an external USB device or SD memory card attached until the issue is resolved.
The company also notes that "The drive reassignment is not limited to removable drives. Internal hard drives may also be affected." In other words, any computer with multiple hard drives — regardless of how they are connected — might start up following the update with drive letters re-assigned. If you're thinking "Well, THAT makes no sense!" I agree totally.
Although there are several methods that can be used to update the computer, my recommendation is to use the Update Assistant if checking for updates in Settings > Update and Security doesn't display the expected update.
Some people who use Windows hate Microsoft. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, they say that Windows 10 is the worst operating system ever. Some of these people have never used Windows 10 and are still using Windows 7 or XP. They are not the target audience for this segment. Windows 10 users will find some useful features in the 1903 update.
Here are some, in no particular order, that I consider to be worth taking the time needed to perform the slightly convoluted installation process.
Here's one you may consider to be silly: It's now possible to set a user-specified color for the Task bar, which is the place where I keep icons for my most frequently used applications. Until now, the black Task bar background made one icon virtually invisible. With a light green background, the icon is now visible.
Also in Settings -> Personalization > Colors, you'll find the option for a light mode for Windows, a light mode for apps that support it, transparency effects, and (the one I used) accent color. Turning transparency effects on or off requires a reboot and the change is entirely cosmetic; it has no useful purpose, but I like it.
The color changes affect the shell. That's the part of the operating system that includes the Start menu, Action Center, Task bar, context menus, and (for touch devices) the touch keyboard. After trying the light mode, you may still prefer the dark mode. Currently I'm enjoying the light mode and the modified accent color that makes that Task bar easier for me to read.
Microsoft split Cortana and Search after having combined them several versions ago. This change has received a lot of attention, much of it negative. I don't care because I used Cortana only when I wanted to see how it worked and when I'm looking for something, I rarely use the built-in Search function.
Although I haven't yet used the Sandbox feature, which is available only on Windows Pro and Windows Enterprise versions, it's a feature that's both useful and powerful. It's also turned off by default and turning it on isn't possible in Settings. Instead, users need to open the old-style Control Panel: Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows Features On or Off. Even then, you might not be permitted to enable it.
Virtualization support needs to be enabled in the system's hardware and, if it's not already turned on, you'll need to open the BIOS settings at boot time an enable it. I'll doubtless do that sometime, but not now. It's a good idea, but it's a feature for power users. Once I've enabled both virtualization in hardware and the Sandbox in the Control Panel, I should find Windows Sandbox in the Start menu's apps list. The virtual machine looks just like Windows 10, but "installing" an application actually installs nothing because the virtual machine is discarded when the machine is rebooted. Using the Sandbox, users can install applications as a test and, if they cause problems, no harm is done.
The Sandbox is the closest thing to a blockbuster change and it won't be available to those with Windows Home systems. Some users may want to delay feature updates, but that's not something that appeals to me. Feature updates are often worthwhile and always interesting, so that's not a feature I'll use.
Overall, though, there's enough in the 1903 update to make me happy.
Windows 10 users can now choose from 3 consoles. There's CMD, which looks a lot like the old DOS prompt; PowerShell, which understand DOS, Linux, and native PowerShell commands; and, if you've enabled it, Ubuntu's bash (Bourne Again Shell). Use whichever one you want.
Back in the earliest days of the graphical user interface, I realized that some operations were faster in the GUI and others were faster in the text-based DOS prompt. Most of that speed differential has been eliminated in the ensuing 30 years, but the command line still has its uses. That's probably why Microsoft provides three options.
CMD in particular is misleading. It looks a lot like the old DOS command line and most of the old DOS commands work. As a result, a lot of people think that CMD is really just DOS with a new name on a high-resolution, full-color screen instead of an amber or green screen from the 1980s.
Updates to the console applications have added customization and color. Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V now work to copy and paste text between the console and the rest of the Windows environment and even the Windows accessibility tools now work in the console.
Although users can start both GUI and text-based applications from the command line, these applications are not hosted by the console. That's one primary difference between DOS and CMD. The console acts as a user interface layer to command-line apps and no direct connection exists between the console and the application.
If you're a developer or a system administrator, command line tools are essential. That's not true for most users, but there are still times when PowerShell, CMD, or Linux bash can perform tasks that would be impossible, or at least difficult, using a graphical user interface.
If so, you probably realize now how wrong you were. Math skills are indispensible and, although the school year may have ended, a new contest aimed at spreading the love of math is just getting started. Through September, Texas Instruments (TI) is asking people across the country to recognize the parents, teachers, and mentors who inspired their passion for numbers for a chance to grant them a math wish.
So far, the company has received more than 800 entries in the "Spread the Math Love Contest" for a chance to make someone's math dreams come true. One of the winners is calculus teacher Glenn Marr from Park Vista Community High School, near Palm Beach, Florida. High school senior Faith Southwick, who is the first person in her school’s history to receive an appointment to the US Naval Academy, nominated Mr. Marr for inspiring her love of math and helping to facilitate her military career.
Southwick wrote, "His mathematical abilities, which are remarkable on their own, are far outweighed by his passion for teaching calculus." Marr's former student plans to pursue a nuclear engineering degree at the academy. "For the next 20 years of my life, I will be using the momentum created by my two years in Mr. Marr's class, and my passion for math, to help defend the United States. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Marr for inspiring me, and others, in the way he has and I hope to inspire others in the future in a similar way."
Texas Instruments will fly Marr and his wife to San Francisco this summer for a tour of the Exploratorium, a collection of exhibits that draw together science, art, and human perception.
There will be four additional "wish" winners through September. Help spread the love of math by recognizing and giving back to the person who helped you build a relationship with numbers. Honor them by sharing your math story for a chance to help them win a math wish on TI's website.
Prices for dash cams and other devices intended to support security have dropped considerably. Because so many motorists run red lights, I decided recently that a dash cam might be a good investment and was surprised to find that a highly rated camera with a lot of high-end features could be purchased for about $100. Other types of security cameras are also priced competitively.
Momentum has just released a smart home security camera called Robbi for less than $100. It includes motion detection and mobile alerts so that users can monitor their homes.
The camera is compatible with Google Assistant and provides a 130-degree, wide view angle, granting visual flexibility to a maximum area. It offers 1080P HD resolution and infrared LEDs for night vision so that the camera can provide clear images even with minimal lighting.
Jason Liszewski, the company's vice president of sales says the camera is an easy solution for consumers who want to monitor their homes. The camera "provides consumers with the quality and convenience they deserve in a security camera with compatibility to other smart home products like Google Assistant."
The Momentum app (for both IOS and Android) gives usesrs a live feed with audio and includes two-way audio communications to speak with whoever is in the room. Motion detection alerts and recordings are customizable so users can receive alerts on mobile device at all times or during specific timeframes.
To learn more, visit the Momentum website.
Viveport, a VR subscription service and app store says that all Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headsets will gain support on the platform starting on 5 June and owners of WMR headsets will be able to download all compatible titles on the Viveport store while also gaining access to Viveport Infinity, the company's subscription service.
Viveport offers more than 1700 titles, of which 600 are available in Viveport Infinity. At launch, more than 200 Infinity titles will be compatible with Windows Mixed Reality headsets, allowing WMR owners to take advantage of the subscription service. For developers, adding support for WMR will increase their audience for Viveport content.
Viveport president Rikard Steiber says that the company is expanding to embrace all major PC VR devices including the HTC VIVE family, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, and soon Windows Mixed Reality and the Valve Index. "Viveport Infinity offers all members unparalleled value and choice when it comes to experiencing and discovering VR content. In addition, we're connecting Viveport developers to an increased audience pool to monetize their content."
Compatible WMR headsets include those made by Acer, HP, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung.
The platform agnostic subscription service for virtual reality costs $13 per month and a bit less for those who pay for a full year's subscription. New titles are added to Viveport Infinity every month. In addition, as Viveport Infinity members, Windows Mixed Reality users will also gain access to exclusive membership benefits.
Steiber says that developers will have "greater reach and potential profits."
For more information, visit the Viveport website.